Tool Factory - Olympus Classroom Grants Awarded, Program Continues -- Winning Applications Show Innovation!

Sunderland, VT, March 16, 2005 – Tool Factory announced the winners of the Fall 2005 Tool Factory/Olympus Classroom Grant program. Tool Factory was astonished to find more than 1900 applicants had applied to the grant program, almost twice the number of applicants from the previous spring.  The entries were creative and demonstrated an innovative range of ideas of how to bring digital photography technology into the classroom.  Both Tool Factory and Olympus see the importance of digital media usage in the classroom on a daily basis, and are excited to bring new resources to educators.  

A total of $3,700 in prizes will be awarded to each of the five grant winners from classrooms across America.  Each will receive three FE-130 Olympus Digital cameras worth $600, $500 cash, 30 Tool Factory Digital Camera Basics books, and $2,000 in Tool Factory software. The winners are: 

• Karen Schulz, Wildwood Middle School, Wildwood, MO; Cops and Robbers and Cameras!
  Students use police procedures to gathering and analyzing different types of evidence, then take part in a mock crime scene investigation to solve the mystery surrounding a mock fire in the school library.  In this semester-long course students will use digital cameras to document the crime scene before gathering evidence. Tool Factory Word Processor will be utilized to write their investigative reports, and Tool Factory Database will be employed to organize the data collected. Results from the fingerprint survey will be compiled in Tool Factory Spreadsheet, and Tool Factory Painter will be used to prepare photographs of evidence used in the mock trial. 

• Donna Sacco, Arlington Traditional School, Arlington, VA; A Day in the Life
  Arlington Traditional School has been working along with local community members to develop a sister school in rural Uganda.  These students need instruction in personal hygiene, cleanliness with food preparation, and first aid care of wounds. 4th grade students will create books for their sister school, around the theme of “A Day in the Life”. Using an Olympus Digital Camera, Digital Camera Basics guide, and Tool Factory Workshop, students would be able to write memoirs of their life here in the USA and provide photographic illustrations as part of the story telling. Cameras and software will be sent to Uganda, then in return, the students in Uganda would create their own books of memoirs from their lives in Uganda. They would also be able to create photographic illustrations by using a camera, some of the Digital Camera Basic guides, and the printer.

• Andrea Swink and Caroline Demarkis, Park Ridge Elementary School, Stafford, VA; The Alphabet Alive!!!!
  The purpose of this lesson is to give children a kinesthetic approach to letter recognition as letter recognition is the first stepping-stone to literacy. In this project, the students will take digital photos of the each other posing to create the uppercase letters of the alphabet. The students will then import the photos into the Multimedia Lab V software. They will then photograph 5 different items that start with each letter add voice to the program and read each page. The classes will end up with a “live” alphabet book to publish and attach to the kindergarten page of the school website. Older students will be creating resources to be used by the younger grades, creating a legacy of learning as the students mature.

• Julie Sparrow, Edmondson Elementary School, Brentwood, TN; Julie created an entire “visual learning” curriculum.  Math students will use digital photography to explore the concept of elapsed time by creating a visual “time log” of their busiest day of the week. Geometry students will take pictures of everyday object such as bicycles, pizza or even a bathtub, then use software to manipulate those images into the curriculum.  Science classes will photograph examples of the ecosystem and log seasonal changes, then take a field trip to the hydroelectric dam to explore converting water into electricity.  In language arts Fourth graders use cameras to develop a quarterly student newspaper complete with short news articles about kid activities such as the local fun run and fall family day.  Digital photographs will accompany all articles that include a local kid-review (with photos) of what’s being served at the cafeteria and many more projects!
  
  
• Michael Heu, Crawford Educational Complex - School of Law and Business, San Diego, CA: Mr. Heu, the drama teacher, noticed that the fear of acting in front of an audience scares the majority of his students, and in addition wanted to explore the hidden side of theatre including construction, props, writing, and directing.  Students will photograph head, body, and character pictures of each other, and learn how to work with the camera to bring out character and facial expressions to show off their best features. With MultiMedia Lab V, students will construct a website about themselves including a resume of biographical information and experience and a short monologue video clip.  Similarly, students who are interested in the technical aspects of theatre will construct their websites based on the production of a stage play or skit. Movie Mode will be utilized to add movies and scenes to the actor’s website. With Tool Factory Workshop, students will learn how to run the business end of a production using the Word Processor and Spreadsheet programs for scheduling auditions, rehearsals, and calculating production costs. They will also be able to create and design flyers, programs, and tickets with the Painter program. The end result will be a hard copy portfolio and an electronic portfolio on CD.

Details on the Grants Program

Over $40,000 in grants will be awarded during the 2005-2006 school year, with deadlines maturing each semester. Link to:

http://www.toolfactory.com/olympus

The application requires only basic information from the teacher, a description of the proposed project for which the grant will be used, and a budget for up to $500. Entries are judged based on effective use of cameras and Tool Factory software, the degree of student involvement, and the level of creativity and fun! The winners are selected by a panel of professional educators and technology specialists.

ABOUT TOOL FACTORY

Tool Factory is a woman-owned, Vermont-based small business with the goal to make a difference in education by providing superior educational software. Teachers, students, and parents join the Tool Factory staff in testing products to ensure that they are easy to navigate, fun to use and beneficial to the learning process. Visit Tool Factory at http://www.toolfactory.com.

Media Contact: Kendra Ericson
Tool Factory, Inc.  3336 Sunderland Hill Road, Sunderland, Vermont 05250
Telephone: (802) 375-6549 Ext. 201
FAX: (802) 375-6860

Email Address:  kendra@toolfactory.com
Website: http://www.toolfactory.com

Orders: orders@toolfactory.com

ABOUT OLYMPUS

As a leader in educational technologies with a legacy of superior optics development, Olympus is committed to enhancing education by bringing the benefits of digital imaging and visual learning to all subject areas at all grade levels.  Olympus provides complete digital imaging solutions for the classroom, from educational tools such as digital cameras and microscopes to professional development and free co-curricular materials for teachers.  Olympus’s longstanding commitment to education extends to grants, scholarships, product donations and discounts, the Olympus School of Digital Photography for consumers, and the Olympus University medical education program for healthcare professionals. To learn more about Olympus and its educational programs, visit http://www.olympusamerica.com/education/.

Contact:  David Willard                                  Kim Newman
                  Olympus America Inc.                    Link Marketing Communications
                  631-844-5180                                212-500-5882

                  david.willard@olympus.com         knewman@linkmc.com